Scientists at the University of Texas, Austin, have used a synthetic ion transporter to disturb the ionic balance of cancer cells and induce death (August 11, 2014, Nature Chemistry).
In cancer cells the ion transportation system actually blocks the cell death programme. However, here the synthetic transporter bound to sodium and chloride, and dissolved in the cancer cell’s lipid membrane. This then ‘threw out’ the whole ion balance of the cancer cell and it died.